A resident of the neighborhood shows his objection the San Francisco Public Utilities plan to cut down a giant Oak Tree, to make way for a new water pipe, Tuesday May 24, 2011, in Fair Oaks, Calif.

A resident of the neighborhood shows his objection the San Francisco Public Utilities plan to cut down a giant Oak Tree, to make way for a new water pipe, Tuesday May 24, 2011, in Fair Oaks, Calif.

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

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The new, $2.7 million bathroom at the Crystal Springs rest stop along Interstate 280 on the Peninsula.

The new, $2.7 million bathroom at the Crystal Springs rest stop along Interstate 280 on the Peninsula.

Photo: The Chronicle

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A resident of the neighborhood shows his objection the San Francisco Public Utilities plan to cut down a giant Oak Tree, to make way for a new water pipe, Tuesday May 24, 2011, in Fair Oaks, Calif.

A resident of the neighborhood shows his objection the San Francisco Public Utilities plan to cut down a giant Oak Tree, to make way for a new water pipe, Tuesday May 24, 2011, in Fair Oaks, Calif.

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

Image 4 of 4

Tree along Hetch Hetchy pipe route spared for now

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Good news, tree huggers - it appears that "Granny," a nearly 300-year-old valley oak on the Peninsula that was to be chopped down to make room for a water pipe, will get a reprieve.

Saving the old girl, however, could cost as much as $500,000.

The tree, in the unincorporated North Fair Oaks area near Redwood City, became the center of attention this past week when residents learned at the last minute that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission planned to cut it down to make way for a new pipe, part of the Hetch Hetchy system upgrade.

The resulting outcry prompted the commission to look into tunneling under the tree.

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"We're holding meetings right now," said commission spokesman Tyrone Jue. "We have to see how the tunneling will impact the tree, as well as how the tree's roots might impact the pipe."

Although the agency estimates the job could cost half a million dollars, Jue said, "we are looking to see if we can get that number down."

He added, "We've done $2 billion worth of work on the Hetch Hetchy project without a single problem. Making the decision to cut down the tree without meeting with residents first was just a lapse in judgment."

And from the looks of things, a costly one as well.

Pension pay-out: No matter which pension reform measure voters approve this fall - if any - San Francisco could still be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars extra to cover retirement costs in the coming years.

According to the city controller's estimates, the plan - which includes more contributions from workers, later retirement ages and pension caps - could save the city $80 million to $90 million four years down the line.

A rival plan from Public Defender Jeff Adachi that basically calls for the city and workers to split pension costs 50-50 could save taxpayers $140 million to $160 million over the same stretch, the controller says.

As impressive as that sounds, however, city pension costs over the next four years could be as high as $729 million.

So no matter who prevails, the city may still have to come up with hundreds of millions of additional dollars.

Where the city will get the money remains unanswered, although the hope is that between bigger contributions by employees, cost savings and the stock market doing better, the hit will be reduced.

If not, the city may have to cut general fund services to cover its obligations.

"Can I say for certain that we won't have to close libraries down the line? The answer is 'no,' " said Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, one of the architects of the mayor's plan. "But I can say that if our plan passes, we won't have to close nearly as many as we would if we do nothing."

And finally: It took almost two years and $2.7 million, but the makeover of the Crystal Springs rest stop off Interstate 280 - home to that giant statue of Father Junipero Serra- is finally done.

What began as a plan to make the place disabled-accessible - complete with a gender-neutral bathroom for people in wheelchairs - now is complete with some new earthquake-themed touches, like unsquared walls and zig-zagging tile lines along the pavement.

Just the thing for a freeway pull-off stop within shouting distance of the San Andreas Fault.

Caltrans spokesman Bob Haussays "it picks up on the geological forces that form the valley, and are continually pushing its western side northward."

The construction, which began in August 2009, came in on budget - but that budget was equal to what Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsompaid a couple of years back for his swank, four-bedroom home in San Francisco's Ashbury Heights.

The rest stop also has a new California Highway Patrol kiosk and security cameras to serve as a deterrents to the late-night gay cruising and drug use that has prompted the state to shut down the rest area periodically since the 1990s.

CHP Sgt. Alex Radich, whose Redwood City division patrols the area, said officers will be at the kiosk on a "sporadic" basis. "It's a place where officers can sit down and write a report, other than a coffee shop or restaurant," he said.

Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com.